Offset-preventing device for stenciling-machines.



J. E. SHAVER, JR- OFFSET PREVENTING DEVICE FOR STENCILING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG I7. 1915- mwmg, Patented Jan. 2,1917;

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

WITNESSES: ,i I IN ENTOR= \i v I; f 14/411221 ATToRMtAc J. E. SHAVER, .IR.

OFFSET PREVENTING DEVICE FOR STENCILING MACHINES. I v APPLICATION FILED AUG-I7. I9I5- 1 1,54. Patented Jan. 2, 1917.

2 SHEETS$HEET 2- INVENTOR:

//' r ATTORNEY MGM.

IUNITEED STATE$ PATENT Q FFIQEO JAMES E. SHAVER, JR., OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO UNDER- WOOD TYPEWIRITER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELA- WARE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 2, 1911?.

Application filed August 17, 1915. Serial No. 45,895.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES E. SHAVER, Jr., a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oifset-Preventing Devices for stenciling- Machines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to stenciling or duplicating machines; and more particularly to mechanism for feeding blotters, or other anti-offset sheets onto the freshly stenoiled and moist copies discharged from the stencil; so that the copies may be stacked without smudging of one by another, and may be quickly dried.

The invention also relates to mechanism for stacking the copies, with the blotters interleaved therewith; and for concomitantly stenciling and stacking.

A further feature of the invention is a novel control of the blotter-feeding mechanism from the stencil carrier, whereby the latter, in stenciling a sheet, also effects the feed of a blotter from the blotter magazine to cover that sheet, and whereby the feed of a blotter may be timed or regulated to varying conditions, so that, whatever the speed of operation, or size and nature of the material handled, or other conditions, the blotters will properly interleave with the stenciled sheets.

Another feature of the invention relates to means for effecting a gravity or similar feed of the blotters,one by one, from the magazine, under control of an escapement mechanism, operated in conjunction with the stencil carrier.

In the preferred form of the invention, the escapement mechanism consists of a detent or finger which normally engages the blotters, to hold the same against the force tending to eject them from the magazine; but which, when the stencil carrier operates, is shifted into registration with recesses in the blotters, so as to allow the blotters to pass by the retaining finger. In order that but one blotter at a time may so escape from the magazine, the recesses in successive blotters are out of step, or staggered, with respect to each other; and consequently after the release of a. blotter by a shift of the retaining finger, the latter is again shifted to find the recess in the next blotter, before that blotter can escape. This escapement mechanism may appropriately consist of one or more fingers on which the blotters rest at one edge thereof; the fingers being carried by a bar adapted to be reciprocated once for every two cycles of movement of the stencil carrier, so that when a sheet is stenciled, the bar is shifted in one direction, to move the fingers thereon along the edge of the blotters into registration with recesses in the edge of the first blotter in the magazine, thereby permitting the escape of that blotter, but holding the other blotters; and so that, when the next sheet is stenciled, the bar makes its return movement to bring the fingers into registration with the recesses in the blotter following the one previously released.

In the preferred form of the invention, the stencil carrier is a cylinder; and the blotter magazine, to the rear of the same, comprises, in addition to the escapement mechanism, a fixed support for one end of the stack of blotters, behind and below theescapement mechanism; thus permitting each stenciled sheet to be fed back from the cylinder, under the stack of blotters, to the fixed support; whereupon the escapement mechanism operates to allow a blotter to swing down upon the sheet.

A feature of the invention is an adjustable mounting for the fixed blotter-support, so that blotters of different sizes may be more conveniently used in the machine.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view in perspective of an assembled duplicating machine, embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 shows a group of blotters, slightly separated at one end, to illustrate the manner in which the recesses in the edges of successive blotters are staggered, so that but one blotter at a time can be released from the magazine. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, certain parts being broken away for clearer illustration of the underlying parts, and the blotter-feeding mechanism being shown in one of the two positions in which it releases justable setting with respect to the other.

The stenciling cylinder 10 is mounted for rotation on standards 11 and 12 of the machine frame. A spider or set of spokes 13 .in the left-hand end of the cylinder has a hub 14 fast on a. stub shaft 15 which is journaled in a boss 16 on the standard 11. The standard 12 carries three rolls 17 on which the cylinder turns at its right-hand end. The cylinder is turned by a handle 18 carrying a finger which hooks over a flange 19 on the cylinder and is held to the same by screws 19*. The cylinder has the usual perforations 20, through which the ink passes to the stencil which is wrapped on the cylinder. The sheets are fed to the cylinder over the table 21 at the front of the machine; and, indicated at 22 below the cylinder, is the bearing roll by means of which the sheets are rolled on the stencil. From the roll 22, the printed sheets in moist conditions, are ejected onto the receiving table 23 at the rear of the cylinder. The magazine for the blotters, with the blotters 24 stacked therein, is also situated to the rear of the cylinder, and is comprised, in part, of a rest or supporting plate 25 having ears or side guides 26 cooperating therewith to hold the blotters in true position, and, in part, of brackets 27 and 28, secured by screws 29 to the base plate. The bracket arms 30 cotiperate with cars 26 of the rest 25 to hold and guide the side edges of the blotters. To support the blotters in an inclined position on the brackets 27 and 28, the latter at the top thereof, carry a rod 31, fast to which are two fingers 32 on which the blotters at their upper ends are adapted to rest. The rod 31, with the fingers 32, is adapted to be shifted back and forth, longitudinally of the cylinder, in its bearings 33 on the brackets.

Referring to Fig. 2, it will be noted that each blotter has in its upper edge two reresses 34. In each of the blotters, these recesses are spaced apart the same distance as the retaining finger 32 on the rod 31; and

each of these recesses is of depth and width,

such that, when the rod 31 is shifted to bring the fingers 32 into registration with the recesses 34, the fingers no longer hold the blotter, but permit it to fall by gravity to the table 23, as indicated in Fig. 5. -Alternate blotters 24 have their recesses at the same location therein. The blotters 24 which alternate with the blotters 24", are also recessed alike; but the recesses in the blotters 24 are staggered with respect to the recesses in the blotters 24; so that when, for instance, the fingers 32 are in registration with the recesses in a blotter 24 to release the same, they will not release the next, 24", blotter, or any but the undermost blotter. The distance the recesses in the blotters 24* are offset or staggered from the recesses in the blotters 24 is the distance the rod 31 may be shifted in its bearings 33. A shift to the left releases :1. 24 blotter, and ashift to the right releases a 24 blotter. In order that the rod 31 may not turn in its bearings, but may be held with its fingers in proper position, it has a turned-over extension 35 which passes through a hole 36 in the bracket 28 and protrudes sufficiently inside of the bracket to be at all times in engagement therewith.

One blotter is released by a shift of the rod 31 every time. a printed sheet is delivered to the table 23, so that, as indicated in Fig. 5, the blotters may be interleaved with the sheets on the table. The brackets 27 and 28, and the rest 25 serve to gide and position both the blotters and the written sheets. trolled from the stenciling cylinder by the following means: Fast to the spider hub 14 is a bevel gear 40. The gear 40 meshes with a bevel gear 41 mounted to rotate on a post 42 carried on an extension 43 of boss 16 on the standard 11. The relative number of teeth of the two gears is such that the gear 41 rotates once for every two revolutions of the cylinder. Eccentric on the gear 41 is a crank pin 44 engaging a slot 45 in one arm 46 of a lever pivoted at an intermediate point 47 thereof on a post 48 secured to the standard 11. The other arm 49 of the lever is slotted at 50 to engage a pin 51 on a block 52 secured by a set screw 53 to the shift rod 31. When therefore, the cylinder is rotated, the lever 46 is rocked to shift the rod 31 to feed the blotters from the magazine. A complete revolution of the cylinder to print and eject a sheet results in a half revolution of the gear 41, rocking the lever 46 from Fig. 3 to Fig. 4 position, and bringing the fingers 32 into registration with the recesses in the lowest, 24 blotter, thus releasing the latter, so that it may drop on the sheet printed and ejected on that revolution of the cylinder. The next revolution of the cylinder shifts the rod again to Fig. 3 position where I the lowest blotter, which is now a 24 blotter, is released.

The sheets which are printed may be of any length which the cylinder 10 will accommoclate; and, to adapt the machine to blotters of different lengths, the blotter- The feed of the blotters is consupport 25 is adjustably secured to the wings 55 of the brackets 27 and 28, by screws 56 which pass into the blotter-support through horizontal slots 57 in the brackets. The screws may be loosened and the support slid to any desired position, whereupon it is set at the proper angle and the screws tightened.

A printed sheet must have time to reach its position on the table 23 before the blotter reaches the table; and, conversely, the blotter must be in place before the succeeding sheet can cross its path. In order that these operations may be properly timed, and that the instant of release of the blotter during the revolution of the cylinder may be changed if conditions as to speed of operation, material handled, or other conditions warrant it, the gear. 41 may be disengaged from the gear 40 and turned to bring the crank pin 44 to any desired angular position; whereupon, without disturbing the cylinder, the gear 41 may again be meshed with the gear 40. Obviously this changing of the setting of the crank pin 44 causes the blotter to be released at a different time in the revolution of the cyl inder. That the gear 41 may be thus adjusted with respect to the gear 40, the post 42 on which it is mounted (see Fig. 6) is shiftable up and down in its support 43. The post is normally held depressed to maintain the gears in mesh, by a coil spring 58, which embraces the post 42 and bears at its lower end on a collar 59, secured by a set screw 60 to the post, and at its upper end bears on the post-support 43. The collar 59 which fits within the recessed or bored portion 61 in support 43 also serves as a bearing to hold the post from angular displacement. The screw 47 which serves as the pivot of the lever 46 may be removed to permit this resetting of the gears.

It will be noted that all the blotters 24 and 24 may be cut in the same die; and that the offset, or stagger, of the recesses therein may be obtained by turning to the cylinder one face of the blotters 24*, and the other face of the blotters 24 Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus describedv my invention, I claim:

1. The combination with a stencil carrier, of paper-feeding means, a magazine for blotters, an escapement device for releasing one blotter at a time from the magazine, means connecting said escapement device to the stencil carrier, so that, as a sheet is printed at the stencil, a blotter to cover the same is released from the magazine, and regulating means for changing the point in the cycle of movement of the stencil carrier at which the blotter is released.

2. The combination with a stencil carrier, of paper-feeding means, a magazine for blotters, an escapement mechanism for releasing one blotter at a time from the magazine, a crank for actuating the escapement mechanism, a gear by means of which the crank is driven from the stencil carrier, so that, as a sheet is printed at the stencil, a blotter to cover the same is released from the magazine, and means for disconnecting the crank from said gear and resetting it at another angular position with respect thereto to regulate the point in the cycle of movement of the stencil carrier at which the blotter is released.

3. The combination with a stencil carrier, of paper-feeding means, a magazine for blotters, means for feeding the blotters from the magazine one at a time and interleaving the same with printed sheets from the stencil, said blotter-feeding means comprising intermeshed bevel gears, one of which carries a crank pin, also forming part of said blotter-feeding means, and is shiftable out of mesh with the other gear to be turned independently thereof and again meshed therewith in effecting an adjustment of the angular position of the crank pin for a release of the blotter at any desired point in the cycle of movement of the stencil carrier.

4. The combination with a stencil car rier, of paper-feeding means, a magazine for blotters, means for feeding the blotters from the magazine one at a time and interleaving the same with printed sheets from the stencil, said blotter-feeding means comprising intermeshed bevel gears, one of which carries a crank pin, also forming part of said blotter-feeding means, and is shiftable out of mesh with the other gear to be turned independently thereof and again meshed therewith in effecting an adjustment of the angular position of the crank pin for a release of the blotter at 110 any desired point in the cycle of movement of the stencil carrier, and a spring which normally holds said gears in mesh but yields to permit a shift of the same apart for readjustment thereof.

5. The combination with a stenciling cyl-. inder, of paper-feeding means, a magazine for separated blotting sheets, means for feeding a blotting sheet from the magazine onto eaoh printed sheet fed from the cylin- 120 der, and means for adjusting the size of the magazine to blotters of different lengths.

6. The combination with a stenciling cylinder, of paper-feeding means, a base for a stack of sheets of blotting material, means 1 5 engaging one end of the stack above the base to hold the same in inclined position,

a receiving table on which printed sheets from the cylinder are stacked beneath the inclined stack of blotters, means for releas- 30 ing the upper end of the lowermost blotter gages the other end of the blotter stack, each time a printed sheet is fed to the rethereby to accommodate blotters of diflerceiving table, to permit that blotter to fall ent lengths.

on such printed sheet before the succeeding JAMES E. SHAVER, JR. printed sheet reaches the table, and means Witnesses: whereby the blotter base may be adjusted WILLIAM A. HARTNETT,

toward and away from the means Which en- EDNA M. STEELE. 

